NEW YORK
\nIreland\u2019s Katie Taylor retained her undisputed lightweight world championship with a split decision win over Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano Saturday in a history-making, epic fight at Madison Square Garden.
\nThe first women\u2019s bout to headline a fight card at the iconic New York venue in its 140-year history did not disappoint.
\nBrooklyn-based Serrano pummelled Taylor in the fifth round, but the bloodied champion held on and reasserted herself as the pair went toe-to-toe over the final rounds of a breathless contest to edge the decision and remain unbeaten after 21 professional bouts.
\n\u201cI had to dig deep,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cI knew I\u2019d be in the trenches at some stage. She is a phenomenal fighter, a great, great person.\u201d
\nSerrano, the unified featherweight world champion, has 42 prior victories including 30 knockouts.
\nDespite stepping up two weight divisions to face Taylor, Serrano was more effective in the middle rounds and staggered the Irishwoman in the fifth.
\nBlood was flowing freely from Taylor\u2019s nose by the end of the sixth, but Serrano failed to press home the advantage and the Irishwoman regrouped to land the more telling shots in the seventh, eighth and ninth.
\nThe 10th and final round saw them battling blow-for-blow until the final bell, when Canadian referee Michael Griffin gathered them in and the fighters exchanged a hug.
\nJudge Benoit Rousel scored it 96-94 for Serrano, but judge Guido Cavalleri saw it 96-93 for Taylor and Glenn Feldman scored it 97-93 for the champion.
\n\u201cWe put on a hell of a show,\u201d Serrano said in the ring. \u201cWomen can sell! Women can fight! We put on a show.\u201d
\nWith a sellout crowd of 19,187 offering fierce support for both fighters, southpaw Serrano boxed on the front foot with a series of punishing blows snapping Taylor\u2019s head back in the fifth.
\nSerrano targeted Taylor\u2019s body in the sixth, but the champion fought back fiercely and the cheers were so loud at the end of the round that they drowned out the closing bell.
\nThe 10th was a dogfight, the fighters trading punches in the center of the ring before Taylor emerged with her sixth defense of the undisputed title she has held since beating Delfine Persoon in 2019 to capture all four belts.
\nHer dominant professional career followed a stellar amateur career that included Olympic gold in London in 2012.
\nSerrano suffered only her second loss and her first for a decade having won 28 straight bouts since defeat to Frida Wallberg in April, 2012.
\nThe prospects are that she could get another shot at Taylor with a lucrative rematch tempting both fighters.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s do it again, Amanda,\u201d Taylor said, as they were interviewed in the ring.
\n\u201cWhatever she wants,\u201d Serrano replied.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK Ireland\u2019s Katie Taylor retained her undisputed lightweight world championship with a split decision win over Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano Saturday in a history-making, epic fight at Madison Square Garden. The first women\u2019s bout to headline a fight card at the iconic New York venue in its 140-year history did not disappoint. Brooklyn-based Serrano […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-258563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n